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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29480481">Sensory Overload</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesandribbons/pseuds/rosesandribbons'>rosesandribbons</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>FebuWhump 2021 [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bullying, Crying, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Flash Thompson Bullies Peter Parker, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Insults, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:08:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29480481</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesandribbons/pseuds/rosesandribbons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter's day starts out rough, soon leading him to sensory overload.</p><p> </p><p>FebuWhump Day Fourteen: Sensory Overload</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>FebuWhump 2021 [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138787</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>283</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sensory Overload</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Writer’s block is so bad for me right now- I apologize if the quality of my works goes down a bit, I have no motivation. This was a prompt I received from justanotheravidreader2 on FanFiction, who requested a sensory overload fic. I hope this wasn’t a bust, my mind is currently offline. </p><p>Prompts are open!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>From the second Peter woke up, he knew it wasn’t going to be a good day.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He slept through his alarm, giving him only five minutes to get ready before he missed his train. May had left for work long before he opened his eyes, so there was no breakfast prepared for him when he left. On the run down to the subway, he ran into multiple people who cursed him off, setting his mood for the day.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It just so happened that someone on his train was in a happy mood, playing a saxophone which sent Peter’s ears into overdrive. He wanted to scream at the man to stop, but he didn’t have it in himself to do it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The second the train stopped, Peter jumped out the door, not paying attention to his surroundings. His ears were still ringing from the saxophone, so of course he didn’t notice when he was walking straight into a man with a fresh cup of coffee.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The two crashed together, the plastic lid popping off of the top of the mug, and in the man's surprise he through his hands out, spilling </span>
  <span>boiling</span>
  <span> coffee all over Peter’s front.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The burning was tremendous, and Peter quickly rushed into a nearby alley with tears in his eyes. He pulled the stained t-shirt off of his body and threw it in a nearby dumpster. He wasn’t going to make May pay for stain remover, even if that had been his favorite shirt.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter was lucky enough to have a spare sweatshirt in his backpack. He pulled it on over his bare chest and started sprinting towards his school. The boy was still about half a mile away with only four minutes to get inside, so he ran as fast as he could without stopping. It was a surprisingly hot day for mid-May, and by the time Peter ran up the steps to his school, sweat was dripping down the back of his neck.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t waste time in stopping by his locker, instead deciding to carry his hundred-pound-backpack with him. He slid into first period just as the bell rang, cringing as the sound bounced around in his head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter’s teacher gave him a dirty look as he walked to his desk where him and Ned were assigned, only adding to his sour mood. His brows furrowed when he realized that Ned wasn’t even there. Ned rarely was sick, and of course on the one day he was absent, Peter needed him most.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sighed as he sat down in his spot and dropped his backpack next to him, the quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>thump </span>
  </em>
  <span>for others sounding more like a gunshot to him. He dropped his head in his hands and covered his ears, attempting to block the noises out.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly he felt a tickle in his nose, and Peter’s nose scrunched as he picked up the disgusting scent of peppermint. He looked to his left where another one of his classmates was rubbing her hands together, a small tube of peppermint scented lotion sitting on the desk in front of her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter silently groaned. Peppermint was his one peeve ever since the spider bite, and now that he smelt it, that scent wouldn’t be going away for the rest of the day. The teacher at the front of the room abruptly started speaking, and Peter was </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>the woman was trying to get on his nerves.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As the teacher’s voice started to get louder and louder, the peppermint seemed to make its way towards his tastebuds. The light shining in from the blinds wasn’t helping his case, only making him want to curl into a ball and never move again. His body didn’t seem to want to cool down, drops of sweat still inching down Peter’s back like spiders.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He sat through the rest of his class in misery, the time seeming as if it was going backwards instead of forwards. Society wasn’t giving him a break, and the entire class Peter’s senses continued to dial upwards. When the teacher finished her lecture and gave a farewell, Peter sighed as his ears finally got some peace, only to be interrupted by the bell ringing, amplifying all of his sense once again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter attempted to hide his pain as he stood up. He grabbed a strap of his backpack and walked out the door, not being able to put it on his back because of how </span>
  <span>uncomfortably</span>
  
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>it felt.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter walked through the hallways as he tried to block out as much input as possible. His eyes were closed, solely relying on his senses to get him to his next class and not caring if anyone was watching. Everything was still way too much, but having his eyes closed did help to some extent.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Just as Peter cracked his eyes open to make sure he made his way into the doorway of his next class, his </span>
  <span>spidey</span>
  <span>-sense jumped, but his reaction time was late due to his state.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The vigilante was tugged backwards by his backpack, slamming into the floor in the process. His head smacked roughly against the tile as a </span>
  <span>shadow</span>
  <span> darkened above him. Peter opened his eyes to see Flash standing above him, laughing in front of a crowd of his friends.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The majority of the hallway had cleared, and from the looks of it everyone else that remained didn’t seem to care about Peter’s situation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter groaned and sat up, his eyes slightly watering as his senses started to overload.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Penis Parker! What’re you doing on the floor, man? Oh, never mind, you’re used to being down there, right? Your aunt can't even afford a bed for you after you killed her husband, huh? Y’know, I’m sure I could rail her if she needed a few good bucks.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter’s jaw dropped at Flash’s last sentence. Normally he could ignore this kind of stuff, but today was not his day, and Flash normally wasn’t this bad. The tears Peter had blinked away started to make their </span>
  <span>appearance</span>
  <span> once again, but his bully didn’t seem to notice as he laughed with his friends.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what I’m talking about, right Penis? What I could do with your aunt, Tony Stark does to you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Flash’s voice started echoing around in Peter’s head, insults and names that seemed to be the only aspect of Peter’s current mind. May would never let anyone use her like that, he knew it. And Mr. Stark would never, in a million years use </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>like that. Ever. </span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The thought of- </span>
  <em>
    <span>that- </span>
  </em>
  <span>made Peter want to throw up. The boy didn’t even realize what was going on when tears fell down his cheeks and he curled into himself, sobs ripping through his body. </span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t process everyone in the hall going silent, or one of Flash’s friends saying, “Dude, the bell’s about to ring. Let’s go.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The sounds of retreating footsteps didn’t cross Peter’s mind, nor the sound of the bell ringing. Everything was too much, his head hurt and the feeling of the floor was unbearable, but he couldn’t make himself move as he sobbed into his lap.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A pair of footsteps made their way towards Peter, who didn’t even notice. A hand on Peter’s back did manage to break him out of his mindset. He flinched away from the unwanted feeling and looked up to see who the offender was.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blinked through his tears to recognize the </span>
  <span>secretary</span>
  <span> from the front desk, a soft yet worried look as she pulled her hand away from Peter.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi sweetheart.” Peter flinched at the woman’s loud voice, and </span>
  <span>somehow</span>
  <span> she seemed to realize what was going on and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry, </span>
  <span>hun</span>
  <span>. Why don’t you come to the office with me and I call someone to pick you up?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter didn’t even think about interrupting anyone's day, he just wanted to leave and he wanted everything to be quiet. The boy nodded and blinked back his tears as fast as possible. The secretary grabbed his backpack and quietly started walking down the hall.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter stood and followed her with his head down, small sniffles and catches of breath being the only sound as they made their way to the office.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When they made it into the room, Peter sat in a corner chair and pulled his knees to his chest. The secretary set his backpack down by her desk and continued to shut the door to the office that normally remained open. The woman stepped out of the room with her phone, and even though it still sounded like she was screaming in his ear, Peter appreciated the gesture.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her words were too fast and too much for Peter to understand, so he didn’t pick up much of the call. When she came back into the room, she remained quiet and sat down at her desk, pulling out a book instead of typing on her computer.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter continued to sniffle, tears dripping down his face every so often as he waited to leave.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Peter heard the sound of one of the school doors being opened, along with the sound of soft footsteps. They trailed along to the office, and Peter peeked up as Mr. Stark walked through the front door.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter wasn’t too surprised to see him here, the billionaire had gotten him from school on multiple occasions. (Although none had been under these circumstances.)</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tony gave the kid a soft smile and turned towards the front desk. He remained quiet and signed the paper displayed to him, and then grabbed Peter’s backpack and walked over to him. Tony held out a pair of earbuds, ones that Peter recognized from the man’s lab desk.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Without a second thought, Peter pushed them into his ears and sighed at the sudden silence.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey bud. Ready?” Tony’s voice came through the earbuds as a whisper, and Peter wiped at his eyes and stood quickly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t the first time Peter had a sensory overload problem in front of his mentor, but it was the first time it happened in public. The last time, there had just been too much noises and input in the lab and his senses went into overdrive. Tony had quickly stopped working and moved his attention to where Peter was curled into himself.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So, Tony knew what to do when Peter was going through this. Peter was led out the door by him, and they walked out of the building and to the Audi parked in front of it. Tony opened Peter’s door and let the boy get in without touching him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Friday manually shut the door with an almost inaudible </span>
  <em>
    <span>click, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and Tony walked around to the </span>
  <span>driver's</span>
  <span> side and placed Peter’s backpack in the back row.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They rode back to the tower in silence, Peter squirming uncomfortably every now and then. Tony wanted so badly to reach out and comfort the kid, but he knew that in reality that would only make things worse.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When they reached the parking garage of the tower, Tony got out of the car and helped navigate Peter to the elevator. The man kept his hands to himself as Peter squeezed his eyes shut, and when the elevator doors opened, Peter stepped out first and made his way towards his room.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tony followed Peter in and blinked through the dark hue of the room, barely being able to make out the </span>
  <span>silhouette</span>
  <span> of the boy.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter was already lying down on his bed, so Tony shut the door behind him and walked to the edge of the bed. Friday had the bedroom sound-proofed and pitch black, so Tony aimlessly sat down by Peter’s small frame and guided Peter’s head onto his lap.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tony pulled the soft earbuds out of the boy’s ears now that they were in a silent room and smiled when Peter let out a sigh.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The billionaires hand made its way into Peter’s curly brown hair and slowly started carding through it, messing up its neat style and detangling any knots. Tony listened as Peter’s breaths evened out, but he stayed in his spot and continued to play with the kid’s hair as he slept, not planning on moving until Peter woke up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Spider-Man may have some off days, but Iron Man would always be there to help.</span>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It wasn’t much, but I tried. My brain is tired. Prompts are open! </p></blockquote></div></div>
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